EMDR

EMDR - Eye Movement Desentizisation and Reprocessing

What is EMDR?EMDR is a short-term, mainly non-talking therapy effective for resolving traumatic memories and experiences. It involves clients moving their eyes from left to right as they follow the therapist’s fingers as she repeatedly passes them across their eye line for a period of about 25 seconds (At no time does the therapist touch the person’s eye). In between each period of eye movements clients briefly describe any thoughts, images or feelings that have come to mind.

EMDR may seem strange, but these side-to-side, bilateral movements, similar to those we make during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, quickly aids the recollection and, most importantly, the reprocessing of the disturbing memories that have become stuck in the central nervous system. Reprocessing doesn’t get rid of the memories, but through EMDR they become just that, memories, without the power to upset or disturb as they did before.

Who can it help? EMDR has been used since the 1980s for people experiencing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including intrusive memories, high anxiety and flashbacks. The first to benefit were war veterans and it is a recommended treatment by the health watchdog NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence) for those who have been traumatised by wartime conflict.

EMDR is also an effective treatment for other traumatic experiences such as childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence and psychosomatic pain conditions and long-term pain conditions that can’t be medically treated.

Alternatives to eye movements As an alternative to eye movements, which might not suit everyone, I offer other pleasant and non-intrusive forms of EDMR, which have produced equally effective results.

How many sessions? While every client’s experience and memories are unique, often just a few sessions are sufficient to completely resolve the traumatic memories.

I am an experienced and accredited psychologist, psychotherapist and psychosexual counsellor with almost 20 years experience of working with a wide range of emotional and psychological problems at my private practice in Highgate. My clients are individuals (age 18 and over) couples and small groups. They are straight, bi-sexual, gay or lesbian and come from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds.

I hold a MSc in Counselling Psychology from City University and my extensive training and experience in different counselling and psychotherapy therapies enables me to offer clients an individual service best suited to resolving their problems and meeting their needs.

I am also a qualified practitioner of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) which can be particularly effective for post-traumatic stress, intrusive thoughts and deep-seated physical and emotional trauma.

Hypnotherapy and Body Therapy – through my clinical experience I’ve found that both hypnotherapy and body therapy can be effective for many problems and also, in some instances, as an addition to psychotherapy and counselling. I hold a diploma in Hypnotherapy and Hypno-analysis and am a qualified teacher of The Alexander Technique, accredited by The Society of Alexander Teachers (STAT).

Sexual and Relationship Problems - I specialise in working with sexual and relationship problems and hold a Post-graduate Diploma in Sexual and Relationship therapy from the Whittington Hospital Trust and South Bank University and a Certificate in Advanced Couples Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy. I also hold a MSc in Psychosexual Therapy from the Whittington Hospital Trust and Middlesex University and am an accredited member of the College for Sexual and Relationship Therapy (COSRT).

Supervision - for over 15 years I have been a supervisor of other therapists, trainee counsellors, psychotherapists and mental health professionals. I hold a doctorate in psychotherapy from the Metanoia Institute and Middlesex University and a British Psychological Society (BPS) approved certificate in Clinical Supervision.

Training and Workshops – as a former college lecturer I have considerable experience in teaching, most recently on the London Foundation Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I regularly provide workshops on Mindfulness, the Alexander Technique, Managing Anger, Depression and Anxiety for trainee and qualified practitioners and charitable organizations, including The Stuart Low Trust and MIND.

Registration - I am registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Council of Sexual and Relationship Therapy (COSRT) and the British Psychological Society (BPS). I adhere to these organisations’ codes of ethics and practice and their supervision and complaints procedures.

Contact My private practice is in Highgate, London N6. You can contact me by calling my private telephone numbers or by email when I shall be pleased to provide further information about the therapeutic services I offer and to answer any queries you may have.

I will return your telephone call or email as promptly as possibly. For telephone enquiries this is likely to be within an hour or two. When leaving a message please state if you have a preferred time for me to ring you and whether you are agreeable to my leaving a message should you be unavailable when I return your call.